The epibenthic sled permitted researchers to observe organisms that had previously gone unnoticed; unknown to the scientific community was a varied population of macrofaunal benthos inhabiting the bottom sediment, in addition to new species of polychaetes, crustaceans, and mollusks. Further sampling in the 1980’s, with the use of a box corer, revealed an astoundingly heterogeneous population of benthic organisms equal, or perhaps more expansive in variety than the number of species residing in the
Introduction Synthesis is the process of producing a chemical compound usually by the union of simpler chemical compounds. For example, photosynthesis, the word photo means putting together with light. Photosynthesis is the process of converting sunlight into food for organic organisms such as plants. Photosynthesis is the basis of life for planet earth and without it; not only would we not be able to produce the fruits and vegetables that we consume, but the food to feed the animals that we eat
Of course there are many beautiful and dynamic fish that reside in the waters of Hawaii, but none are as captivating as the Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a (Rhinecanthus rectangulus ). This reef trigger-fish is the official state fish of Hawaii because of its abundance in the shallow waters of the coast. Humuhumumunukunukuapua'a means “nose like a pig” because of the shape of its nose due to the formation of its teeth and because it makes a “snorting” sound when abruptly taken from the water and when
The eye is an extremely diverse organ, ranging in complexity across and within animal phyla. Here, a comparative approach is taken to outlining the diversity of the eye forms within vertebrates and invertebrates. The eye morphology of a variety of organisms was examined. Eye function, and placement on the body was also considered. Here, variation in eye form is discussed in relation to the environment the organism is adapted to. It is shown that an organisms eye morphology functions optimally for
Biology of Mangroves One of the most unique and least understood environments found in nature is that of the mangrove. This ecosystem is found at the junction between land and sea. Author, Loren Eiseley (1971) wrote vividly about his encounter with a mangrove forest in the book The Night Country: A world like that is not really natural. Parts of it are neither land nor sea and so everything is moving from one element to anotherÖNothing stays put where it began because everything is constantly
plastics are harmful to marine life is because they prompt hitch hiking. Floating plastics debris are the most common transport in the ocean and are responsible for the widespread propagation of many animals and plants across the globe. Barnacles, polychaete worms and molluscs use them as a means of transport and a mobile home (Barnes, 2002). For species found in many of the globe’s oceans, this isn’t an issue. However, hitch hikers can sometimes be invasive species o Attract sessile and motile organisms
Without the sun’s energy, an overwhelming majority of life would no longer be able to exist. The earth’s surface would be completely barren; neither plant nor animal would be able to withstand the brutal environment. Even the sea would be permeated with the carcasses of dead fish. However, on the ocean floor, species have evolved without any help from the sun’s energy whatsoever. These evolutionary wonders thrive in communities whose sole energy source is the hydrothermal vents found over 7,000 feet
total forest cover. Mangroves play an important role in the oxygen we breathe today, they are also a host to at least 70 different species of crustacean and roughly 75 different species of fish and over 100 different species of molluscs, and even polychaete worms and 230 species of birds. Some species only live in mangroves during high-tide such as sea snakes, turtles and even crocodiles. All these organisms are being affected by human impact such as sedimentation caused by construction and excavating
By definition, symbiosis is the close and often long term interaction between two or more different species. The word symbiosis is derived from the Greek words, sym (together) and bio (life). German biologist Anton de Bary is the scientist typically credited with coining the term in the middle of the nineteenth century, though also an important contribution was made by his contemporary, Albert Bernhard Frank. Frank, however, instead used the term symbiotism. De Bary introduced the term to discuss
Introduction The extraction of oil onshore has been ongoing for several decades. Offshore oil extraction is a process that began decades after onshore exploration had begun. For many years, scientists and the oil companies were certain that the exploration and production of petroleum from deep-water formations would not incur any sort of environmental damages. Several decades later, scientists learned new information from monitoring programs and research studies that offshore drilling did cause
The characteristics of a sandy shore at Pallarenda beach, Townsville, North Queensland. Introduction: The sandy shores of beaches can be considered as a very harsh environment to live in (Ted Klenk, 1999). Survival in such a habitat requires an organism to withstand strong wave and current action, tidal rise and fall, unstable substrate, heavy predation and wide variations in salinity and temperature (The Otter Island Project). Any organism found in this type of harsh environment is specialized
Climate change is arguably one of the most discussed issues in climatic conferences and political debates across the world. Establishment of the fact that global warming is the leading cause of climate change continues to persuade people to find out ways of reducing or mitigating the effects it has on the earth. Global warming occurs naturally, but artificial causes, which are mainly human activities, contribute to this effect. The release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from human activates
consequences for the ecosystem, it was found that the octant of Gulf (the area of the oil spill from Deepwater Horizon) contained 8332 species of plants and animals. In the main taxonomy of animals at all depths of disaster , there are 1461 mollusks, 604 polychaetes,1,503 crustaceans, 1,270 fish, sea turtles, 218 species of birds and 29 species of marine mammals (Gulf of Mexico biodiversity Applications Deep Horizon oil spill MM Thomas C. Shirley , John W. Tunnell , Jr. , Fabio Moretzsohn and Jorge Brenner